The path, which is 120 km long, connects Bologna to Florence.
The Path of the Gods is a very ancient road, it was already used in the VII century B.C. to connect Fiesole and Felsina (Etruscan name for Bologna). In 187 B.C. the Romans built a road through the Apennines called Flaminia Militare along this route. The current name of the road comes from some of the places it crosses, such as Monte Adone, Monte Venere and Monzuno (Mons Iovis, or Monte di Giove), whose names derive from the gods of classical mythology.
The starting (or finishing) point of The Path of the Gods is Piazza Maggiore in Bologna, from where you walk along the longest portico in the world (about 3800 metres), leading to the Sanctuary of San Luca. The route then reaches the oldest still functioning masonry waterworks in Europe, which is the Casalecchio Lock.
Then you arrive at Monte Adone, where, in addition to the beautiful view (we recommend you to get in time to enjoy the wonderful sunset), you may hear the roar of a lion or the scream of monkeys, given the proximity of the “Centre for the Protection and Research of Exotic and Wild Fauna” (if you like, from April to September the Centre organise guided tours). Whereas, at the “Contrafforte Pliocenico Nature Reserve” you can find fossils and shells, since this place was surrounded by the sea about 5-2 million years ago. Further on we reach Madonna dei Fornelli, a hamlet of the small municipality of San Benedetto Val di Sambro. Arriving in Firenzuola, we cross the border between Emilia-Romagna and Tuscany and come across the Futa cemetery: with its peculiar spiral shape, it is the largest German cemetery in Italy (it holds over 30,000 corpses).
In the museum of Sant’Agata Mugello there is a marvellous exhibition with moving characters made in the image and likeness of the real inhabitants of the town, thus immortalising the life, customs and habits of previous generations.
Almost at your destination, you arrive in Fiesole. From Monte Ceceri you can enjoy an incredible view of Florence.
From the Fiesole hill, in 1506, the first flight experiment took place: Leonardo da Vinci tested his Flight Machine with Tommaso Masini at the helm.
The Path of the Gods ends in Florence, in the Piazza della Signoria, with priceless works of art such as the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore, Brunelleschi’s Dome, Giotto’s Bell Tower and the Baptistery of San Giovanni.